


Didneyworl

by vvingblade



Series: our snapshots, our stories [4]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Disney World & Disneyland, Gen, How Do I Tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21918262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vvingblade/pseuds/vvingblade
Summary: Ven takes Sora and Roxas to Disneytown.
Relationships: Roxas & Sora & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: our snapshots, our stories [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1278320
Comments: 8
Kudos: 73





	Didneyworl

**Author's Note:**

> Me: ill just write something quick and small about the Sortas going to disneytown
> 
> Me, 5k words in: why am I like this

Gummispace is beautiful.

It's so different from the Ocean Between- where the space was a vast but empty expanse colored blue and purple and green, truly like an ocean how the Worlds settled in it's space, drifting idly in their orbits like islands. Only the Lanes split apart the untouched plains, smooth uninterrupted lines from one World to another, the space between rising and cresting like waves. Ven's vehicle felt perfectly suited for it's paths, his Glider coasting easily along the gentle ebb and pull of the space around him as he drifted from one world to the next, or jetting along it's more temperamental waves as he charged forward to his destination. But it was empty and unchanged, almost soothing in it's absoluteness. 

Gummispace was a _totally_ different monster. It's foreign and unchallenged territory, more resembling a meteoric wasteland filled with hunks of rock and the dead crusts of Worlds long gone, drifting uncaring through it's beautiful yet savage realm. Something about it was wild, untamed, a chaotic kind of beauty Ven fundamentally understood. And while it posed a kind of threat the Lanes never did, a wild hostility in it's jagged hunks of rock and flash storms, with the Heartless monster who managed to traverse the terrain and claim it theirs, it still gave Ventus a different kind of excitement as he boarded his vehicle- a promise of a challenge on the horizon making his Blade thrum in time with each beat of his heart. 

And there's nothing quite like coasting and diving as he travels alongside the Gummiship. Sora's particular iteration sports sloping wings and a sharp crest, sleek and aerodynamic and all together a prize of a ship that Ven knows Sora's helplessly proud of. Ven's fond it too- if only because Sora made edits to the ship to make it more Keyblade vehicle friendly after Ven made it perfectly clear he had zero intention of ever actually travelling in the Gummiship. ( _Why would he bother with a Glider at his beck and call?_ )

Handholds along the crest were added for Ven to hang onto as they travel, the sloping wings sturdy enough to allow Ven to settle atop them, or to catch their draft and coast on no power of his own. Even a comm unit installed to allow back and forth communication from Ven's armored helmet to the ship- though that particular upgrade extended to Aqua and Terra as well.

But there's nothing like soaring the galaxy alongside Sora's Gummiship on their way to yet another World, like they are now. The Ship putters along at an easy pace, Ven drifting alongside it as he sits atop his Glider cross legged. Wayward Wind doesn't need his explicit control to stay steady and stay forward- she's an extension of Ven's own heart. Not only does she respond to his call, both mental and verbal, he can even fling her away from him to attack, and of course she sails right back under his feet like a boomerang. Directions are the last thing she needs. The way forward is mostly unobstructed, so Ven's attention is more on the conversation he's having with Sora and Roxas than on navigating. Or more like assuaging Sora's concerns.

"Are you _sure_ we're going the right way? We passed Monstropolis forever ago and that's the furthest out I've ever been." Sora doesn't sound worried- yet- just concerned. But it's easily the fifth or sixth time Sora's badgered him about directions. Ven rolls his eyes, grateful Sora can't see the expression behind the opaque pane of his helmet.

"I'm sure, Sora," he reassures easily, letting one foot bob off the edge of his Glider. He gently tips the stem of his Glider down to avoid a small asteroid that goes tumbling past and coasts closer to the Ship. "Gummispace isn't too different from the Lanes. I've been there a ton of times and I feel it's draw- my heart knows the way better than my head." 

He's not wrong. Gummispace and the Ocean Between are totally different terrains, but the paths between them from one World to another don't differ as much as Ven would have thought. If he focused, really concentrated, he could feel the thrum of life and light from the Worlds he'd once visited. Some didn't elicit any response, like the Mirage Arena, others a cold emptiness- like the Castle of Dreams. But still others still felt warm, inviting, and that was the draw on his heart Ven was following now. Other Worlds pass them by, quiet and innocuous, and Ven makes a mental note to come back with way on his own sometime to explore those distant Worlds. 

"Not everybody needs a map practically tattooed to the inside of their eyelids to find their way like you do, Sora," Roxas teases from inside the ship- likely the passengers seat. Ven laughs at the same time Sora barks an offended "Hey!" and the sounds of a scuffle breaking out inside the ship reach Ven's comm. It's brief, and when the comm crackles back to life Roxas is commandeering it. Ven can hear Sora's defeated grumbles as background noise and can't help but crack a grin. He's again glad for the dark glass of his helmet.

"But seriously, how far is this place? You said it was a stone's throw away from the Mysterious Tower."

"It is! Or at least it was," Ven offers, shrugging helplessly. "When I used to travel the Lanes they were fairly close together, but the Lanes are way faster than Gummispace or the Ocean."

Another truth. Worlds were far apart, no matter how you looked at it. The Lanes were just that- fast travel Lanes that allowed them speedy travel from World to World, bypassing the monotony and sluggish speed of Ocean travel. He couldn't really account for the equal time in Gummispace, a more untamed version of the Ocean Between requiring more detours to avoid collision. It _also_ doesn't help that Keyblade vehicles are rather fast, and Ven's Glider in particular can fly circles around the Gummiship. 

"We're real close though. Won't be long now! I promise. And now you guys will be able to go on your own!"

That was the whole reason Ven didn't simply gate himself and his allies- a Gate didn't create a Lane or waypath for return trips, especially if one hadn't been there before. At least now, Sora and Roxas could find their way to that World with or without Ven's guidance. 

Roxas asks something about their passes, and Ven makes to respond, when there's a particularly insistent tug on his heart pulling him left. He drifts with the motion almost absentmindedly when he spots a bit of cheery bright color in the gloom of Gummispace. He presses down on his Glider's stem to coax her forward, and lets out a bark of delight at the brightly colored World floating innocuously in the distance.

"Told you we were goin' the right way! Follow me!" Ven's on his feet in a flash. Roxas lets out a startled noise as Ven jets off in a trail of teal, and powers the Gummiship to make after him. 

______________________

  
  


Disneytown is just a bright and cheerful as Ven remembers, and even just one place in his memories staying just as remembers it, no changes with his long sleep like the rest of his world, puts Ven at ease. He can still show Sora and Roxas the best haunts, like the ungrounded pinball board, or the Rumble Racing arena, or even the Fruitball court ( _though that sport was always Aqua's forte_.)

The Million Dreams festival is in full swing by the time they swoop in, Ven dismissing his Glider partway down to instead perch himself atop the Gummiship. Cheerful music flows through the town, balloons of all sorts of sizes and shapes and color bob merrily above the streets, full of Disneytown residents and even visitors from the Castle- Ven definitely sees Daisy Duck hurrying along and makes a mental note to greet her later. 

With a bit of guidance, the Gummiship neatly touches down near the Rumble Racing court- the only place Ven can think to park the ship. Chip and Dale are more than amicable towards letting it stay parked there when a bit of Munny is passed their way. As Sora ( _or Roxas, whoever has control over the steering wheel this time_ ) settles the ship, Ven leaps from the crest to the ground. A mental command dismisses his armor, and he stretches as Roxas and Sora come clambering from the ship. 

"You weren't kidding," Roxas whistles as he steps to Ven's side, looking about at all the brightly colored decorations hanging from every lamppost and overhang, the music that seems to swell within the town. "They really do go all out."

"Isn't it awesome?" Ven says, grin so wide it could split his face in two. 

"I had an awesome time last....last time I came. Cmon, you guys will love it!"

If either Sora or Roxas heard the way his voice briefly falters, neither comment on it or question it. Ven assumes they've learned to let it be when he stumbles over himself, forgetting how long it's been, how long he sat still and stagnant in a prison of white. They don't offer if he doesn't, and Ven's eternally grateful for that. Sometimes it's difficult to speak about without a surge of grief or rage- and he's never sure which is going to rear it's head. Instead of bringing it up he marches ahead into the town center proper, Sora and Roxas at his heels. 

Ven still remembers the best shortcut past the Fruitball arena, so it only takes a short minute before they're walking into Disneytown's town square, where the music is much louder and much more vibrant, where streamers and glitter falls seemingly endlessly from the sky, where Disneytown residents mill and chatter and enjoy the festivities. He hears Sora let out a delighted noise and wave a bit manically at Minnie as she goes by, and Roxas makes an appreciative noise in the back of his throat as strips of confetti make themselves comfortable in his hair. Ven turns to the two of them, digging in his back pocket.

"You're gonna need these to do any of the games and stuff," he says, passing each of them a Disneytown pass. They're Terra and Aqua's, technically, but the passes don't have any names or identification to them- theoretically Ven could give them to anybody to allow them passage. 

"I dunno if those have any credit on them, but if you play games and earn credits, you can use them to pay for the treats and stuff if you don't wanna pay Munny." 

Sora eagerly pockets his, and Roxas mirrors him before setting his hands behind his head. Ven smiles. It's an action all three of them share, and on more than one occasion they've all done it simultaneously. It's always funny to watch them do it unconsciously.

"You're the Disneytown expert here, Ventus. What do you suggest we play first?"

"Yeah! You always talked about how much fun this place was! We wanna do all the best stuff first!"

"What? No, best stuff last! End it with a bang."

"But who wants to slosh through the boring and frustrating stuff?"

"It's basically an amusement park here Sora. _Nothing_ is boring." 

Ven watches the two bicker fondly. He's content to let them bicker their way to a solution, as the two tend to do, when he sees Huey go scampering by with his arms full of both cake and waffle cones. Immediately he remembers that the triplets man a game here- his favorite actually, despite the memories of frustration the game brings back. He interrupts Sora's rather circular argument of how it's much better to enjoy the most fun things first by grabbing Roxas's shoulder. 

"I've got the best game for you to play! It's one of my favorites, you'll love it." 

Roxas and Sora both smile and follow Ven blindly to the Icecream Beat machine.

______________________

  
  


Twenty minutes and a few soft but heartfelt " _fuck this game_ " from Roxas finds him walking away with a fair bit of credits and the new Icecream Beat high score. Ven isn't particularly nettled over that. It's been years since he last played, and he's surprised his score wasn't toppled long ago to begin with. To be fair, his score was higher than even the triplets had anticipated being able to score, but leave it to Roxas to be an over achiever. 

Seriously, _29 meters?_

"You did really good!" Sora laughs, patting Roxas on the back as he stalks away from the machine, an odd mix of both aggravation and pride on his features. The younger blond huffs, tipping his chin up.

"Fuck those smug little duck children," he grumbles. "I was _not_ off beat that second time."

( _He was_.)

Sora just laughs even harder, making Roxas skew his face into a pout as they follow Ven to the icecream stand. Sora had begun to basically salivate over the steadily growing cones of icecream the triplets held over the course of the game, and had been so immensely disappointed that they wouldn't be the ones eating the cones that Ven had almost tripped over himself to assure Sora there was a place for icecream here too. 

He can't be blamed, not when a disappointed Sora looks frighteningly close to a kicked puppy.

Ven takes them over to Louie's stand, smiling at the strangled noise of outrage Roxas bites back. He gets it. He can't say he was on the greatest of terms with the nephews after his own attempts.

"Lots of flavors here you guys will really love!" He states, waving a hand at the large selection of icecream, expanded much more from when he used to frequent the festival. "Aqua, Terra, and I even have ice creams here made for us! They're super good! But they have all kinds of flavors."

The two scan the menu for a brief period while Ven chats with Louie, being caught up on the boy's adventures with Scrooge in his absence. He's just entered a tale about his friend Lena when Sora announces that he wants to try the Goofy Parfait. Ven turns to to them, only to find Roxas looking confused and entirely out of his depth.

Ven tilts his head. "Something wrong?"

"None of these are seasalt."

"Um...yeah?" Sora says with a grin. "Do you like anything else?"

Roxas's voice is impossibly small and unsure when he replies, "I've never had anything else. I don't... I don't know what I like."

Both boys feel their hearts sink a little at that. It's easy to forgot that Roxas's prior existence was a fleeting one, lit and snuffed out over the course of less than a year. The only icecream he's been exposed to are the ones he's been given. Sora plasters his smile back into his face, and Ven quickly follows suit. Sora flings an arm over Roxas's shoulders. 

"Hey, don't worry! We'll find something. We know you like salty and sweet together, so that's a good starting point. Do you like the salty or the sweet more?" 

"...sweet?" Roxas still seems unsure. "But I really like them together. I dunno if I'd like them as much separated."

Maybe now is too early to try and pry Roxas from his comfort zone. Ven hums. "Terra's icecream is called Rockin' Crunch. It's got nuts and caramel. He likes sweet and salty too, so maybe try that?" 

It's a bit disappointing as he wanted Sora or Roxas to try his Honeybunny, but it's a small price to pay when Roxas visibly relaxes. Sora shoots Ven a grateful smile over Roxas's shoulder. Ven winks back.

"That sounds good. I'll have that, then."

"Then I'll have my usual Doublecrunch!"

"Coming right up!" The duck scampers to the back to complete their orders as soon as they all pass over their cards ( _and as it turns out, Aqua's does have enough credits for Sora to use_.) The three retreat to a bench nearby to wait. 

"Sorry I'm so boring," Roxas mumbles, toeing the paved ground with his shoes. "I should have tried something new."

"Nah, 's cool," Sora says and he leans back. "You're allowed to like what you like. No rule saying you gotta branch out if you don't want to!"

Ven nods empathetically. "He's right! Even I get the same thing every time because I really like it! You don't have to try something new if you don't want to."

Roxas smiles at them in turn, and it's easy to see he's almost completely relaxed from before. Ven knows Roxas dislikes not knowing things, and takes it as a personal affront if others innocently call him out on something they thought he clearly should have known. A nettled Roxas is a distinctly difficult one to be around, as his default defense mechanism is aggression. It's better to ease him into things than attempt to force him. Force usually results in him either breaking something or lashing out at others. And that just wouldn't do at a festival. Ven distracts them with a rousing tale of his first time playing Icecream Beat when Louie comes around with a tray of icecream.

"Here you go!" He chirps, passing out each icecream to their recipients with a practiced ease. "Enjoy your icecream fellas'!" And he waddles back to his stand.

Sora marvels over his, excited by it's appearance and delighted over the little drapes of chocolate that resemble Goofy's ears. Roxas turns his over and over, smiling abit at the star dead center in the icecream bar, while Ven pulls out the little gold Keyblade spoon tucked into the icecream.

While Sora tucks into his without hesitation, Ven watches Roxas take a tentative bite from the corner of his eye. He lets go of a breath he didn't know he was holding when Roxas lights up, clearly enamoured with the taste. Only then does he start on his own. He pauses, before tapping Roxas's arm.

"Wanna try some of mine?" He holds up a spoonful. It's got a fair mound of strawberry icecream and a bit of fruit. "It's really sweet, but really good!"

Roxas eyes it a bit dubiously- no doubt thrown by the fruit- but opens his mouth in acceptance. Ven easily pops it into his mouth. Roxas looks abit confused at first, before his expression melts into one of pleased acceptance.

"'s actually really good," he responds with a nod, licking a stray bit from his lips. "I like the strawberry flavor."

"Ooh ooh! Try mine then, try mine!" Sora pipes up, scooping a fair bit onto a spoon for Roxas to try. He opens his mouth dutifully and accepts Sora's as well. Ven watches the two chatter happily over the icecream sundae, which Roxas seems to favor more, before digging back into his own treat. He's surprised when Roxas almost shyly tips the Rockin' Crunch bar at him and offers him a bite, and in return his pouch the chocolate ears out of his icecream to share with Roxas and Sora. The three devolve into an icecream tasting forum from there, sharing amongst each other and bickering back and forth over which was best ( _clearly Doublecrunch, but Ven will allow them to be wrong)._

As soon as Sora polishes off his bowl and pitches it into a nearby trashcan, he springs to his feet and rocks on his heels.

"That icecream was awesome! I'm gonna have to come back here and try them all!"

"Seconded," Roxas replies as he licks his stick clean and tosses in the trash. "I actually really like that parfait. And I kinda wanted to try that Honeybunny. 's cute."

Ven grins, clearly pleased that his favored icecream flavors seem to be the ones his best friends are interested in. He reminds himself to gloat to Terra and Aqua later. 

"Well, what's next you guys?"

"You said there was a Fruitball game! I wanna try that!" Sora chirps happily, rocking faster on his heels. Ven shrugs. He doesn't care much for the game despite being more than fast enough to keep up, but he knows it's the best idea right now. Let Sora burn off the inevitable sugar high. Roxas is right on the same page because he responds enthusiastically to the idea and insists Ven leads the way. 

______________________

  
  


Fruitball turned out to be the best possible idea, because Sora on a sugar high is a complete _monster_ at the game. He's moving around the court faster than Ven can keep up with, the Kingdom Key moving and striking and there's oversized fruit flying _everywhere_ around the court. Ven stops keeping track when the grapes come out. It's too much to keep track of, and was why Ven didn't care for the game himself. He was too easily overstimulated and confused when there was over 5 fruits on the field flying back and forth at once.

That's not an issue for Sora. He charges the fruits like he's on a mission, striking them back across the field and into their respective goals with a single minded determination. Very few fruit hit his own goal. Ven and Roxas watch, bemused, as Disneytown residents line up for challenge after challenge only to be handily defeated in short order. 

( _Ven feels a little bad for Chip and Dale's match. There's beating the other side, and then there's_ **_massacaring_ ** _the other side._ )

By the time Disneytown residents give up on trying to best Sora he's won enough credits to buy out the entire icecream cart, and has handily beaten whatever score Aqua set before him. When he comes bounding back over to them it's clear he's still got some energy to burn. He's practically vibrating out of his skin.

"That game is awesome!" He yells as he practically skids to a stop, interrupting their conversation about Clara Bell and Goofy and the _obvious_ relationship they'd once been in. ( _Cmon, Max was a thing. They weren't stupid.)_ Earlier they'd wandered off to a cart manned by Horace, and bought themselves some little trinkets. Roxas bought an adorable little Minnie charm to attach to his backpack back home, and Ven a festive Micky Mouse eared cap. He doubts he'll be able to wear it over his unruly spikes of hair, but it's nice to have all the same. 

"I haven't had that much fun in a while! You guys totally should have played with me. You guys wanna get in a match one on one? Think you can best the new champ?" 

Ven immediately bows out with his hands raised in surrender. He knows better than to even try. But Roxas, bless his stupid soul, can't resist the obvious challange. Oblivion comes to his hand as he rises, flashing Sora a crooked grin. 

"You're on." 

Ven settles back on his bench to watch the two set up the court, and enjoys the show when the whistle blows and the fruits go flying.

______________________

  
  


"I didn't _miss_ that last shot. Somehow the pineapple bounced off the side of the rail!"

"Sure it did," Roxas teases as the three finally trot away from the Fruitball court. While Roxas had lost the few two rounds, Sora had gotten overconfident and stated that the final round was the only one that mattered- which, of course, was where Roxas slid underneath a flying pineapple, bounced it back, and then easily charged a grapefruit into Sora's goal for the win and the pineapple missed Roxas's goal by a hairsbreath. 

Sora huffs, trying to pout, but can't help the smile on his face. Roxas shoves him with an elbow.

"Don't be a sore loser, man. It's not a good look on you." 

"I'm not a sore loser! You're just a smarmy winner."

All three laugh as they walk down the streets, waving occasionally to Disneytown residents as they pass by. Sora tips his head, catching a streamer that goes fluttering by his face.

"Say, Ven, what's the Million Dreams Festival all about anyways?"

"Oh. Uh, it's to celebrate the most helpful people in town, I think? I don't really remember, mostly 'cuz I'm not sure how I won last time." 

He was just being his usual self, helping out when asked and where he could, and the only major problem he'd solved was fixing the finicky Icecream Beat machine. He was sure there had to be somebody in town more helpful- though he wasn't expecting that person to be both Terra and Aqua. He didn't even know you _could_ tie for such an award.

"Huh. That's pretty cool, then." Sora shrugs. "So what's next?"

Ven looks up at the sky. It had been later in afternoon when they arrived, and despite having played only two games, those two games had eaten up a fair bit of time. Especially Fruitball. The sun now dared to lower toward the horizon, putting a stopwatch on their fun. Ven hums softly.

"Can't do Rumble Racing, since you guys haven't learned to summon your vehicles yet...the Command Board here is a nightmare...hm. Oh!"

Ven flashes them both a radiant grin.

"You guys ever play pinball where you _are_ the pinball?"

The two give him matching stares of confusion, and Ven laughs. They're in for a treat. 

And lots of bruises.

"Follow me. You're gonna _love_ this."

He leads them down an innocuous manhole, one he was sure most Disneytown residents didn't know about. Last time he was there the tunnels were flush with Unversed, but now only Brooms march about, dusting and sweeping and keeping the place tidy. The place is running on it's own, a relief, as last time Ven had to exhaust himself using _Thunder_ repeatedly on a particularly temperamental generator just to get everything running. He's not sure why- he's pretty sure the machinery here doesn't power anything of note above ground. Roxas and Sora look around, both clearly confused.

"This is a service tunnel Ven," Roxas deadpans, looking at the large pipes, valves, and gears that chug on, the mechanical hands that grab and adjust, unconcerned with their presence. Ven grins but doesn't respond- just keeps waving them on to keep following him. As the pass under the large machinery, Sora whistles. 

"This is real cool and all, but this is a dead end Ven."

"Sure it is- if you walk." He grins at the two, backing up away from them and towards the Mickey head shaped lift. "You're gonna wanna do what I do."

The two follow, getting aboard the lift just before it rises again to a small alcove, where they dismount. Roxas frowns at the mess of machinery just ahead of them, moving and turning and grinding along with zero hesitation. Ven summons Wayward Wind to hand. Behind him, he can hear Sora and Roxas summoning their own blade as well. 

"So what do we-"

Ven cuts Sora off by _launching_ himself. It's been some time since he last maneuvered around the large gears and mechanical hands, but muscle memory reminds him how to get around. It's parkour at it's finest as he leaps right onto the first two sets of gears, and without hesitation launches himself at the hand drifting slowly away. He catches it with the edge of his Keyblade, spins himself up, and flips easily to the large gears churning on the other side. From there he just drops and glides to the platform on the other side.

He can see Roxas and Sora gaping at him, and he can't help the swell of pride. It did take him a while to perfect those moves- a slight divot to his forearm from where he broke it falling between two gears and hastily Curing it is a testament to that. He _knows_ they won't be able to do the same. They all have their strengths- Roxas's berserker strength, Sora's ability to draw of the power of the connections he's made- but only Ven's agility and speed is necessarily required here. There's a much easier and much more _obvious_ path to follow that he knows they will entirely ignore. He did the first time too. 

" _Dude,"_ Sora calls. "How are we supposed to do that?"

Ven shrugs. "You're both smart, you can figure it out!"

As it turns out, no they cannot. They both make attempt after attempt to mimic his motions, but it just doesn't work out- both lack the experience and Ven's innate flexibility to make it work. Ven laughs at each and every failed attempt, calling out not so helpful tips just to nettle them. But he watches carefully to ensure neither make the same painful mistakes he'd made his first few times. It takes exactly half an hour before Roxas finally makes it over through sheer grit and determination, literally digging Oblivion into the side of a hand and letting it drift him where he needed to be, and Sora just decided to Meow Bounce his way over, which Ven is distinctly sure is cheating. He didn't have a helpful Dream Eater to get _him_ across. 

As Sora touches down, gives Meow Wow a hug, and dismisses the Dream Eater, Ven rolls his eyes.

"That's one way to do it. Neither of you realized you could just step on the hand and it'd lift you to the second gear set."

Sora looks startled, whipping his head back to start at the moving parts and confirm, while Roxas just shrugs.

"I saw," he drawls easily, dismissing Oblivion. "I just wanted to stick it to you by not using it."

"I didn't see it at all!" Sora complains. He throws his hands up. "That route is like, ten times easier."

"If it makes you feel better, I threw myself at the wall like four times before I realized that wasn't the right way," Ven offers helpfully.

"It doesn't."

  
  


______________________

  
  


Pinball goes as terribly as Ven predicted, but is easily twice as fun because of it. While playing fair was fun to start with, all it took was Roxas subtly cheating by knocking Ven out of the way, and all bets were off. Cheating became the name of the game, and he would admit it was _way_ more fun to get launched by Sora's impressive Sliding Dash than by the lackluster bumpers. And while Ven is still getting a handle on flow motion, it's easy to use on the vertical arena, and even easier to use it to launch himself in any direction he pleased.

But the end of the night finds them sore, battered, and all together exhausted as they sit atop the roof the pinball board leads out to, legs dangling over the edge as the sun nestles behind the horizon and fireworks shoot up to commemorate the end of the festival. Sora's got his head pillowed on Ven's shoulder, barely able to keep his eyes open as the inevitable sugar crash finally came to claim him. Even Roxas looks tuckered out, cradling his head in his hand was he watches the fireworks. Ven is no better. He's exhausted, and ready for a nice long nap. Maybe in the Gummiship. He can see it from here, as they're closer to the Rumble Racing track than not. 

"This was alot of fun," Sora slurs sleepily, nuzzling closer. "Thanks, Ven. I wanna come back sometime with _everybody._ "

"Seconded," is all Roxas is able to offer, cutting himself off to yawn. "Xion would really love that icecream game, and I think she'd like to try the other icecream flavors too." Ven smiles.

"Glad you guys wanted to come.. I wish I had more places like this I could share with you," he mumurs. "But I'm glad we had this. Maybe next time we should go to the Land if Departure's market town. I think you guys would like that, too."

They stay atop the roof until the last firework fizzles out in a spray of color, and the music begins to die down. The sun's entirely gone now, blanketing the town in nighttime, and at some point Sora dozed off entirely. Ven gently nudges him awake, and smiles at his drowsy grumbles. He blinks blearily at Ven, who just pokes his nose. 

"Rox." He's startled from his stupor of looking at the stars, blinking sleepily over at Ven. 

"We leavin'?" 

"Yep. Better get Sora on board the ship before he gets cranky." Sora's already shuffling off towards the edge of the roof, carefully stepping off to Glide his way down. Ven pulls out his phone, and texts Aqua to let her know he's on his way home. Roxas rises and stretches. As he trots to the edge, he leans over to gently bump his shoulder to Ven's.

"Thanks again, Ven." His sky blue eyes are startlingly clear, not drowsy at all, his voice conspiratorially low. "I know coming to places like this sometimes really bothers you. So I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to share this with us."

Leave it to Roxas to notice the small shifts in Ven's mood, the light strain to his voice whenever time seems to catch up with him. Ven's answering smile is a bit sad, but genuine. He sighs softly, and looks up to the starry sky above, each star a World and a world away.

"I can't live in the past anymore," he mumurs just as softly. Roxas steps closer, and leans on him just a bit. "It hurts sometimes, but I'd rather change these memories attached to these places for the better, y'know? I...came to alot of these places alone. When I ran away from home. So if I can change those most recent memories to those with people I care about, I'm more than happy to." 

When he finally looks back to Roxas and meets his gaze, his eyes are soft.

"Yeah, I think I get it," he responds. He pauses, before glancing at Ven.

"You think… you think you'd wanna come to Twilight Town and play in a Struggle match with me?"

Ven is a bit startled. Roxas had avoided the Struggle games ever since his return, but Ven _knows_ why. Roxas had let him know that was the moment his world tilted on it's axis, when the world distorted around him and revealed that his world was just a data simulation. It was rather traumatic, Roxas had said, and even trying to grab a Struggle bat made him nervous, on edge, that his world would shatter apart at the seams like it had before.

Ven frowns. "We don't gotta do that, Rox. It's fine." But Roxas just shakes his head.

"Nah. Probably shouldn't keep running from stuff from the past. Maybe if we play together, I can rewrite how I feel about it?" He smiles, soft and shy, and Ven mirrors it. 

"If you want! Let's discuss it later, yeah? I dunno how to play Struggle, and I don't wanna let you down." 

Roxas scoffs. "Please, all you gotta do is smack somebody with a bat 'till I call time. Super easy. I'd _love_ to watch you wail on Seifer."

They're cut off by the sound of the Gummiship roaring to life. They glance over the edge to see Sora leaning out of the hangar door, scowling at them.

"Well? You guys coming, or you gonna sleep here tonight?"

Ven laughs while Roxas rolls his eyes, the two stepping off the edge to Glide for the ship as Sora badgers them the whole way. Ven shares a brief fistbump with Roxas before calling his armor, and lets Wayward Wind come to life under his feet as his Glider. His phone chimes.

_I hope you had a good time! Me and Terra are still up; we'll wait for you :)_

His comm crackles to life.

"You ready to go Ven?" It's Sora on the comms this time, and Ven rolls his shoulders.

"Sure am! Let's head home." As the Gummiship lifts, Ven follows-and glances back at Disneytown one more time. It's amazing how the entire place _feels_ different, despite being almost fundamentally the same. He smiles to himself.

_Maybe Terra, Aqua, and I need to come here together, just the three of us._

It's a nice idea that he holds onto as the jets off on the heels of the Gummiship, returning to the Land of Departure and back to his family waiting up for him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed, and sorry it's so long! Comments and kudos are appreciated more than you know! They are the fuel that keeps me writing! I know I don't always respond, but trust me I read them and re-read them all the time!! /)w(\


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